Poster for A
Credit: Cameron Hummels
The engineers behind NASA’s most ambitious Mars missions will gather at a Pasadena biergarten Monday to tackle humanity’s ultimate question: What would it really take to live on Mars?
“Astronomy on Tap: Living on Mars” brings together three leading experts for an evening bridging science fiction dreams and engineering reality.
Adam Steltzner, mastermind behind the Mars Curiosity rover’s revolutionary sky crane landing system, headlines the event. As chief engineer for NASA’s Mars Sample Return Program at JPL, Steltzner was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2016 for developing the audacious landing technology that safely delivered the car-sized rover to Mars.
Susan Redmond, a David and Ellen Lee Distinguished Scholar Fellow at Caltech and optical engineer at NASA JPL, joins the discussion. Redmond earned her Ph.D. from Princeton University in November 2023, specializing in correcting quasi-static wavefront error drifts in telescopes—critical technology for precise Mars observations.
Cameron Hummels, director of astrophysics outreach at Caltech, serves as master of ceremonies.
The informal science talks will be followed by astronomical pub trivia, guided stargazing with telescopes, and live music.
Dog Haus Biergarten operates Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 12 a.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 12 a.m.
“Astronomy on Tap: Living on Mars” will run on Monday, Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Dog Haus Biergarten, 93 East Green Street, in Pasadena. For more call (626) 395-4169 or visit https://www.astro.caltech.edu/outreach. Tickets: Free.
